Dave White, a young man growing up in Oklahoma in the early 1960s, feels hopelessly trapped by his life. He knows that if he doesn't leave, his heart will break. Dave knows he can't deny his dreams of a better life for a minute longer, so when a vague shadow of opportunity arises, he grabs it. Finally, he gets his chance to spread his wings and fly away with the wind. Dave follows his heart to the wheat harvest, but what he finds isn't exactly the stuff of dreams. Each year, thousands of men, women, and children from every crossroads, whistle-stop, town, and city go to the wheat harvest. Like these others, Dave finds twenty-four-hour days, working in the never-changing, sun-blistered fields. He finds a world of prejudice, pain, and sudden death.

In this world, once a person is ten miles from home, no one cares if that person lives or dies. In seeking their dreams, Dave and the other workers find themselves challenged by a harsh reality. But in spite of these hardships, Dave also discovers true friendship and even love in these fields.